roanoke valley astronomical societyvipin trivedi, chris wade, randolph walker and loren wright....
TRANSCRIPT
Volume 30—Number 7 July 2013
Roanoke Valley Astronomical
Society Amateur Astronomy News and Views
In Southwestern Virginia
RVAS NL— July 2013— Pg 1 of 12
Have you heard the one about the PhD Astrophysicist
Rabbi??
Sounds like the start to a good joke, doesn’t it? Actu-
ally, I’m thinking about a lecture given by such a speak-
er here in Roanoke several years ago during a series
discussing the Church and Science. The speaker noted
the frequently held opinion that these two arenas are
in direct opposition to each other, natural enemies,
never to be reconciled. But in a quite masterful stroke,
he painted them as more properly understood as two
observers of phenomena, with two different perspec-
tives: one seeking evidence for "how" and the other for
"why."
Which of the two arenas you take as the primary and
the secondary observer reveals your own bias. And
while the vilification of either, or both, has been his-
toric, in our current happy state of affairs we find
them, quite often, linked together. For example, con-
sider the Vatican observatory at Castel Gandolfo, Ita-
ly—a scientific institution within an organization long
associated with its infamous actions against Galileo in
1633.
So, we now find ourselves linked as the grateful guests
of Colonial Presbyterian Church at 3550 Poplar Drive in
Roanoke for June and July. We appreciate the
Church’s hospitality—its Fellowship Hall, where we’re
meeting, is ideal for our purposes. It’s a quite large
open space, with an adjacent kitchen, and has very good
acoustics. Thanks are due to Mike Good, the church’s
music director and faithful (no pun intended) Immedi-
ate Past President of the RVAS, for making the ar-
rangements for us to use the facility. It was the venue
for our June 17th meeting, the RVAS Summer Solstice
Social, which was adorned with lots of vegetables, (Meeting Continued on page 5)
Members enjoy the munchies during a moment between activ-
ities at the June meeting.
Photo by Carolyn Baratta
June RVAS Meeting Notes
Colonial Presbyterian Welcomes RVAS
by Rick Rader, RVAS Secretary
RVAS NL— July 2013— Pg 2 of 12
The Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society is a membership organization of amateur astronomers dedicated to the pursuit of observational and photographic astronomical activities. Meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. on the third Monday of each month. See calendar on last page of news-
letter for location. Meetings are open to the public. Observing sessions are held one or two weekends a month at a dark-sky site. Yearly dues are: Individual, $20.00; Senior Individual, $18.00; Family, $25.00; Senior Family, $22.00; Student, $10.00. Articles, quotes, etc. published in the
newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of the RVAS or its editor.
Officers/Executive Committee/Editor/Webmaster Frank Baratta, President ([email protected] )
Sharon Stinnette, Vice President ([email protected]) Rick Rader, Secretary ([email protected]) Jeff Suhr, Treasurer ([email protected])
Carol Mesimer, Member at Large ([email protected])
Michael Good, Immediate Past President ([email protected]) Paul Caffrey, Past President ([email protected])
David E. Thomas, RVAS Newsletter Editor ([email protected])
Roger Pommerenke & David E. Thomas, Webmaster ([email protected])
RVAS web page: http://rvasclub.org
I’m sitting here, sort of chuckling to (or is it at?) my-
self. It’s not really something you can run around brag-
ging about, is it? Getting re-elected when you’re run-
ning unopposed, that is. It reminds me of a joke re-
garding voting in the old Soviet Union—you could vote
“yes” or you could vote “yes.”
But, seriously, I appreciate the opportunity to serve as
your President for another term. And I’m grateful that
my fellow 2012-2013 officers—Sharon Stinnette, Rick
Rader, Jeff Suhr and Carol Mesimer—were also willing
to serve again and have been similarly re-elected. Con-
tinuing to join us on the Executive Committee will be our
two past presidents, Mike Good and Paul Caffrey. Plus,
the Committee will continue to receive the able assis-
tance of our Newsletter Editor, Dave Thomas, and our
Webmasters, Dave and Roger Pommerenke.
While much of the organization and ongoing effort that
keeps the RVAS moving is attributable to the Executive
Committee and other members named above, our club
could not sustain itself based solely on what these folks
do. Whether it’s presenting meeting programs or sub-
mitting articles and images for the newsletter or volun-
teering for events such as October’s WeatherFest and
April’s Astronomy Day, our activities are only as good
and enjoyable as the level to which the membership as a
whole is engaged in and contributing to them. I’m ex-
tremely gratified by how many of our members have
contributed during the past year in such additional ways
and want to acknowledge the following who have done
so:
Carolyn Baratta, Rand Bowden, Paul Caf-
frey, Dan Chrisman, Fred Davis, Clem
Elechi, Mike Good, Genevieve Goss, John
Goss, Jack Gross, Larry Hill, Mark Hodg-
es, Fred Hoffman, Carol Mesimer, John
Michener, Roger Pommerenke, Rick Rad-
er, Sharon Stinnette, Jeff Suhr, Dave
Thaler, Clark Thomas, Dave Thomas,
Vipin Trivedi, Chris Wade, Randolph
Walker and Loren Wright.
That’s more than two dozen people who have given their
time and effort or made a special financial contribution
to promote the interests of the RVAS. Thanks to all of
you.
While acknowledging the forgoing members (and apolo-
gizing profusely, if I’ve overlooked someone), I recog-
nize that not everyone is able to give additional time
and effort. And not everyone feels comfortable doing a
(Message Continued on page 3)
President’s Message
Thanks for Your Support!
RVAS NL— July 2013— Pg 3 of 12
program or engaging the public at outreach activities.
Hopefully, if you’ve attended any of our meetings, you
know we’re a friendly and supportive group, so maybe
with time you’ll want to become more involved. But even
if you don’t, understand that we do appreciate your sup-
port of the club just through your membership!
Speaking of membership, as of the end of June 2013,
we stand at 57. That’s “memberships.” Of the total, 28
are “Family” memberships, so we comprise more than 57
individual members. Given these modest numbers, I’m
also gratified that we’ve averaged 25 attending
(including guests) our monthly meetings, including last
October’s annual picnic and star party.
Looking back over the past year, while knowing there is
always more that can be done, I feel that much has
been accomplished. Some accomplishments are of the
“behind the scenes” organizational type, while others
were more visible. Let me highlight a few of the things
that I’m proud that we as a club, with many of you
named above taking the lead, have done:
Twelve monthly newsletters issued
Three showings of “The City Dark” at VWCC
An extensive amendment of the Bylaws
Restarted distribution of the club roster among the
members
Participated in the October 2012 WDBJ Weather-
Fest
Brought in special speakers Dr. Dwight Holland and
Dr. Michael Solontoi
Held our first annual picnic and star party at Clay-
tor Nature Study Center
Established an inventory of club property
Completed arrangements to resume monthly meet-
ings at Center in the Square
Held twelve monthly meetings, including two
“socials”
Offered member benefits such as magazine dis-
counts and Ottewell and wall calendar sales
Held our first Astronomy Day activities in conjunc-
tion with Roanoke’s Earth Day
Welcomed speakers Tom Fitzpatrick and Anne Agee
and Hannah Cunningham from the Roanoke City Schools
Resumed involvement with the Night Sky Network
Purchased a portable digital projector for RVAS
meetings
Scheduled a club road trip to NRAO Green Bank
Not bad, though by no means everything that we could
list.
For the coming year, I’d like to put more focus on grow-
ing the club. I’m pleased to report that we had 10 new
memberships during 2012-2013 (6 Family; 4 Individual).
However, as is always the case each year, we’ll lose
some members during the renewal cycle currently un-
derway. So, we’ll need to find ways to attract more to
join. Last year, with the assistance of member Loren
Wright, we began considering a Facebook presence. We
didn’t get that off the ground, so we’ll want to re-open
that possibility.
But there’s more that can be done to promote club
growth and member enjoyment. With your participa-
tion, suggestions and ideas, I’m sure 2013-2014 can be
as much fun as the year just ended!
Thanks, again, for your continued support!
Frank Baratta
(Message Continued from page 2)
July 15th Meeting
Colonial Presbyterian Church
3550 Poplar Drive
Roanoke VA 24018
For additional information, press <Ctrl> and click below for a picture of the church and the above Google map:
http://www.colonialpres.org/apps/location/
RVAS NL— July 2013— Pg 4 of 12
RVAS NL— July 2013— Pg 5 of 12
fruit, and some delicious chocolate cookies that were
consumed faster than a Pulsar can spin!
RVAS President Frank Baratta got things started by
greeting the 21 members and guests who had turned
out. Among the former, we were glad to meet and get
to know Brian Bowman, who joined in November and who
was attending his first meeting! We also welcomed Ju-
dy Capollupo, sister of members Adrienne Capollupo
and Chris Pohlad-Thomas, likewise in attendance with
their daughter, Sophia. (We were saddened to learn
that Chris, Adrienne and Sophia are moving and that
this was likely their last meeting as members. But we
bid them “Clear Skies!” and wish them well in their fu-
ture endeavors.) Other guests included Penny Dudley
and Nasser Abdelhadi. Nasser was using his second-
shift lunch hour to attend the meeting, during which he
became our newest member!
Frank called on Mark Hodges, Chair of the Nominating
Committee, regarding some pending RVAS business—the
election of the 2013-2014 officers. Mark reminded
everyone that the Committee had proposed the current
officers as its slate of candidates, since all had indicat-
ed their interest in running for re-election. No other
members had sought to be added to the slate, so Mark
called for the voice vote provided for in the Bylaws to
elect the candidates. All votes were in favor and none
opposed. The 2013-2014 officers elected are: Frank
Baratta, President; Sharon Stinnette, Vice President;
Rick Rader, Secretary; Jeff Suhr, Treasurer; and Car-
ol Mesimer, Executive Committee Member At Large.
Next up was John Goss with a video and images of the
April 20-21, 2013, Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF),
held at Rockland Community College, in Suffern, New
York. With 200 vendors and an attendance of 2000,
this is by any measure the largest vendor's event of the
year and featured such elite figures in the field as Dave
Eicher, Astronomy Magazine, Dr. Mike Brown, CalTech,
Dr. John Grusfield, NASA, and noted astrophotogra-
pher and John Davis, Hollywood director.
John then showed a video he made when visiting the
famous 200-inch telescope located at CalTech’s Palomar
Observatory near San Diego. Full science with this in-
strument began in 1949 with the early discovery of an
asteroid, which came to be named Icarus, as it passed
within 17 million miles of the sun and four million miles
of the Earth. From there the 200-inch took the lead in
understanding stellar evolution and in the development
of observational and theoretical cosmology. Though now
diminished in stature by the continuing development of
massive observatories throughout the world and in
space, its place in history cannot be overstated.
Ever on the prowl for nuggets of interest on the inter-
net, Mark Hodges was up again to show a video regard-
ing the relative sizes of the planets and stars. He then
mentioned that a local resident had wanted to donate a
telescope to the Science Museum. With so much re-
maining to complete its new facilities at Center in the
Square, the Museum had been unable to accept the gift.
So Mark had accepted the Celestron 4.5-inch reflector
in order to donate it to the RVAS. Mark had brought
the scope with him and set it up for all to look over. We
may adapt it as our next Library Loaner scope or use it
for other purposes.
For the last of the evening’s activities Frank showed
the current StarGazers Online episode, which focused
on the upcoming June 22nd “Super Moon.” It was partic-
ularly humorous and contrasted the Super Moon—14 per
(Meeting Continued from page 1)
(Meeting Continued on page 6)
Our own John Goss (right), with Tom Lynch (left) and Bill
Bogardus, staffing the League’s booth at NEAF.
Photo provided by John Goss
RVAS NL— July 2013— Pg 6 of 12
cent larger by appearance, 30 per cent brighter by
comparison—to the “Wimpy Moon.” The latter occurs
when the Moon reaches 253,000 miles distance (as it
will in January 2014) as opposed to the 220,500 on the
22nd.
Our next meeting, also to be held at Colonial Presbyter-
ian, is July 15th. Newly re-elected RVAS President
Frank Baratta will be providing the evening program on
two subjects: the Solar Analemma and Comet ISON,
the highly anticipated and potentially spectacular ob-
ject that will be grazing the Sun in late November. And
remember that for August we’ll again be changing ven-
ues for a single meeting at the O. Winston Link Museum,
as we welcome Steve Conard, of Johns Hopkins Univer-
sity and the International Occultation Timing Associa-
tion, as our special speaker.
(Meeting Continued from page 5)
Image from the Stargazers Online episode showing the
“Super Moon” this June 22nd compared to the “Wimpy Moon.”
RVAS Dues Reminder
The new membership year began July 1st. If you haven’t yet sent in your dues,
please take a moment to do so today. Membership categories are:
Individual (One person age 18 or older) -- $20.00
Senior Individual (One person age 65 or older) -- $18.00
Family (For all in household age 18 or older) --$25.00
Senior Family (For all those age 65 or older) --$22.00
Student (One person; full-time; age 18 or over) -- $10.00
Make checks payable to "RVAS" and forward to: Frank Baratta, RVAS President,
2607 Oregon Avenue SW, Roanoke, VA 24015. Thanks!
RVAS NL— July 2013— Pg 8 of 12
RVAS NL— July 2013— Pg 9 of 12
Member Observations Perigee Moon of 06/23/2013
Super Moon of June 23, 2013 from Lynchburg, Virginia
Nikon D3100 , Foreground ISO-400, 1/2 sec, 400mm telephoto
Lunar image overlaid, ISO 200, 1/400 sec, 400mm telephoto
Photo by Dave Thomas
Super Moon of June 23, 2013 from Lynchburg, Virginia
Image of the Sun superimposed on the image of the Moon
Both images taken with 400mm telephoto lens
Photo by Dave Thomas
WELCOME MAT
The Society bids a warm and cordial welcome to Nasser and Kasey Abdelhadi, of Roanoke, who became RVAS
members at the June meeting. Nasser has been with Home Depot for 15 years, while Kasey, a former Franklin
County first grade teacher, is a homemaker kept busy by their 6-year-old, Noah. Nasser indicates having been
fascinated by things astronomical since childhood. He heard that there was an amateur group in Roanoke and a
few weeks ago googled his way to our website. In between learning about the RVAS and attending our June
meeting, he and the family enjoyed a visit to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank, West
Virginia. Nasser notes having received a telescope as a gift some time ago, but isn’t sure it’s still usable. He
hopes to connect with members about that and to gain knowledge about astronomy through his membership.
Nasser and Kasey, we’re glad to have you with us! And we hope that the Abdelhadis will become regular partici-
pants in RVAS meetings, events and activities. Thanks, again, for joining!
RVAS NL— July 2013— Pg 10 of 12
As we Earthlings prepare to journey to Mars and be-
yond to Europa, barely more than a century after we
first learned to fly in airplanes, it is proper to look at
our own history as a model to see what is likely ahead.
Astronomers are now compiling a tantalizing list of
“near” stars with rocky planets in their Goldilocks zone.
New space and land instruments coming soon will help us
detect spectra of these planets, identifying water
worlds. So far we haven’t detected signals of advanced
life with radio telescopes, but that effort is ongoing.
The real question is to what level of intelligence life
has evolved in our region of the Milky Way. On Earth
primitive unicellular beings have existed for more than
a billion years, and life on dry land has been crawling
around for about a half-billion years. Nevertheless,
modern humans are extremely recent emergents, less
than 200,000 years ago. That’s like one heartbeat in
our planet’s lifetime. Technologically advanced human
life is only here within the lifetimes of older humans
now living.
Today we have big data, but not yet “big understand-
ing.” Henceforth, computer philosophers emerging as
boxy comphumans will arrive in about twenty years.
Android comphumans like “Data” will be with us in a cen-
tury or two. It is fair to hypothesize that advanced
life elsewhere has followed a similar trajectory.
There have been enough credible reports of UFO visits
that rote denial of alien visitation is itself more fringe
than simple curiosity about this recurring phenomenon.
Surely, most UFO sightings are erroneous; but there
are enough reports from pilots, military men, and oth-
ers with a scientific pedigree to warrant further study.
Indeed, both astronauts Gordon Cooper and Dr. Edgar
Mitchell (who walked on the Moon) have been strongly
supportive of this phenomenon.
It was easy to poo-poo UFOs when we comfortably as-
sumed we are alone in the nearby universe. New as-
tronomy suggests otherwise. Given enough planets with
life forms in our region of the galaxy, it is increasingly
probable that one or more water-based creatures has
evolved to a social level where these beings may choose
to check us out. As for other life forms even more ex-
otic, or distant, we cannot exclude them absolutely.
One aspect of visitations that has amazed people expe-
riencing them is the ability of unidentified flying ob-
jects to radically change course at high speeds. Anoth-
er aspect of some encounters is possibly a variation on
the same technology: Aliens having a translucent ap-
pearance, sometimes vanishing instantly, have been re-
ported. Are we witnessing some sort of holograms gen-
erated by the real visitors.
Real visitors we directly encounter may be their version
of comphumans, with their planet’s water-based sen-
tient life forms going along for the ride. The movie
2001 imagines our early man-machine space partnership
on a journey to Jupiter. In that case HAL developed an
agenda antithetical to that of the carbon based space
men. True alien partnerships will be quite different.
I have written extensively about comphumans for dec-
ades, in books and articles, all of which is found in my
astronomy-links.net web site. My conclusion is that our
fears of evil space monsters are likely a projection of
our own killer ape genetic history. It is precisely be-
cause our computer philosophers will not be burdened
with a limbic system shaped by a bloody evolutionary
past, that they will be free to be ethically benevolent.
The same ethical logic that applies to human-created
comphumans will similarly apply to exo-comphumans.
We humans are clever at finding ways to self-destruct,
and thus to accelerate our extinction as a species.
Even a benevolent intervention may not be able to stop
our suicidal downward spiral. Such a dark future for
humanity is obviously speculation, but not logically ex-
cludable. (UFOs Continued on page 11)
UFOs: What We Meet
by Clark M. Thomas
© 2013
RVAS NL— July 2013— Pg 11 of 12
Let’s hope that shared wisdom from our co-inhabitants
in this region of the Milky Way will help us successfully
bridge the gap between fear of each other, and mutual
respect for all within a sustainable biosphere.
(UFOs Continued from page 10)
RVAS NL— July 2013— Pg 12 of 12
Monthly Calendar
MONTHLY MEETING: Monday, July 15th, 7:30 p.m., Colonial Presbyterian Church Fel-
lowship Hall, 3550 Poplar Drive, Roanoke 24018. This evening, RVAS President Frank Bar-
atta will give a talk on the Solar Analemma and also provide an update on Comet ISON.
RVAS WEEKEND OBSERVING OPPORTUNITIES: Unless otherwise indicated, observing is held at Cahas Moun-
tain Overlook, milepost 139 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
-- Friday and Saturday, July 5th and 6th. Sunset is at 8:44 p.m. Astronomical twilight ends at 10:35 p.m. The
Moon sets at 6:38 p.m. and 7:25 p.m., respectively.
-- Friday and Saturday, August 2nd and 3rd. Sunset is at 8:26 p.m. Astronomical twilight ends at 10:07 p.m.
The Moon sets at 5:22 p.m. and 6:06 p.m., respectively.
-- Future Sessions: August 9th and 10th; August 30th and 31st.
RVAS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING: To be determined. Call 540-774-5651 for information.
ROANOKE CITY PARKS and RECREATION PUBLIC STARGAZE: Saturday, July 6th, 9:15 p.m., Cahas
Overlook, Milepost 139 Blue Ridge Parkway. Nonmembers must register with Parks & Rec. at 540-853-2236.
Members can call 540-774-5651 for information. (Next session: August 10th, 9:00 p.m., Cahas Overlook.)
Astro-Quiz
It’s been more than four decades since NASA first used the then-little-known term “pericynthion” for one of its
activities. With what NASA activity was the term associated and what’s the connection?
Answer to Last Month’s Astro-Quiz: On March 17, 2013, a 40-kilogram object the size of a small boulder was
observed by NASA to have slammed into the Moon at a speed of 56,000 mph. The resulting explosion was esti-
mated to have been the equivalent of 5 tons of TNT. But the Moon has no oxygen atmosphere, so how can some-
thing be said to “explode”? Lunar meteors don't require oxygen or combustion to make themselves visible. They
hit the ground with so much kinetic energy that even a pebble can make a crater several feet wide. The flash of
light that accompanies the event comes not from combustion but rather from the thermal glow of molten rock
and hot vapors at the impact site.